Volume II, Issue VI, July 2026
Volume-II, Issue-VI, July, 2026 |
Received: 12.07.2026 | Accepted: 22.07.2026 | ||
Published Online: 31.07.2026 | Page No: | ||
DOI: 10.69655/atmadeep.vol.2.issue.06W. | |||
ন্যায়মতে
করণ: একটি পর্যালোচনা
পিয়ালী
দাস, সহকারী অধ্যাপিকা, দর্শন
বিভাগ, ঋষিবঙ্কিমচন্দ্র ইভিনিং কলেজ,
পশ্চিমবঙ্গ, ভারত |
Karana in Nyaya Philosophy: A Review Piyali Das, Assistant Professor, Department of Philosophy, Rishi Bankim Chandra Evening College, West Bengal, India | ||
ABSTRACT | ||
The concept of Karaṇa (instrumental cause) constitutes a fundamental
component of Nyāya epistemology and metaphysics, particularly
in the analysis of causal relations underlying the production of effects and
valid cognition. This paper critically examines the nature, definition, and
philosophical significance of Karaṇa within the Nyāya tradition, tracing its
conceptual evolution from the classical Naiyāyikas to the Navya-Naiyāyikas.
While the early Naiyāyikas identify Karaṇa as the extraordinary or most efficacious cause
distinguished by its immediate relation to the effect (phalāyogavyavacchinna
kāraṇa),
later thinkers redefine it in terms of operative activity (vyāpāra) and causal efficacy. The study explores the
divergent interpretations advanced by prominent philosophers such as
Uddyotakara, Vācaspati Miśra, and Jayantabhaṭṭa, with particular
emphasis on Jayanta’s doctrine of Sāmagrī-kāraṇavāda, which regards the totality of causal
conditions as the true instrumental cause. Through a comparative and analytical
approach, the paper evaluates the strengths and limitations of these competing
theories and demonstrates how the debates concerning Karaṇa contributed to the refinement of Nyāya
theories of causation. The study highlights the enduring philosophical
relevance of these discussions within the broader framework of classical Indian
thought.
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